To:G. M. KRZHIZHANOVSKY

Published:First published in 1928.

      Sent from Geneva to Kiev.

      Printed from the original

Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1974,

      Moscow,Volume 34,

      pages191-192.Translated:Clemens DuttTranscription\Markup:D. MorosPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

November 8, 1903. To Smith

Dearfriend,

Oncemore I earnestly beg you to come here, you in particular, and another one
or two persons from the Central Committee. This is absolutely and immediately
necessary. Plekhanov has betrayed us, there is terrible bitterness in our camp;
all are indignant that, because of the rows in the League, Plekhanov has allowed
the decisions of the Party Congress to be revised. I have definitely resigned
from the editorial board.Iskramay come to a stop. The crisis is
complete and terrible. Bear in mind that I am not fighting now for the editorial
board of the Central Organ, I am quite reconciled to Plekhanov setting up a
five-man board without me. But I am fighting for the C.C. which the Martovites,
who have grown insolent after Plekhanov’s cowardly betrayal, also want to
seize; they are demanding the co-optation on to it of their own people without
even saying how many! The fight for the editorial board of the Central Organ has
been irretrievably lost owing to Plekhanov’s treachery. The sole chance
of peace lies in trying to give them the editorial board of the C.O. while
holding on to the C.C. ourselves.

Thisis not at all easy (even this may be too late already),
but we must try. We need Smith here, and, best of alltwomore Russians from the C.C., the most imposing (no ladies)
(e.g., Boris and Doctor). Plekhanov threatens to resign if the C.C. does not
yield. For heaven’s sake, don’t believe in his threats; we must use
more pressure on him, scare him. Russia must stand up firmly for the C.C. and
content itself with handing over the editorial board of the C.O.New people from the C.C. are needed here, otherwise there is absolutely no one
to conduct negotiations with the Martovites. Smith is triply needed. I repeat
the Martovites’ “conditions”: I) negotiations on behalf of the
editorial board of the C.O., and the C.C., 2) six on the editorial board of the
C.O., 3)? on the C.C. Cessation of co-optation on to the C.C., 4) two seats in
the Council, 5) disavowal of the C.C. as regards the League, recognition of the
latter’s Congress as lawful. These are indeed peace terms put by victors
to the vanquished!